BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific October 3, 2008

East Timor: Muslim leader upbeat on Islamic community during visit to Indonesia

Text of report by Indonesian commercial news website Detikcom on 3 October

[Article by Rachmadin Ismail: "Pejabat Timor Leste Ada Juga yang Muslim"]

Article Summary: The following comments were made by the leader of the Muslim community in East Timor, Arif Abdul Sagran, during a visit he made to the home of Muhammadiyah Chairman Din Syamsuddin in South Jakarta on 1 October 2009.

"The situation in East Timor is OK. [Muslims] are never intimidated. Some of our officials are Muslims, such as the Deputy Governor of the East Timor Central Bank, as well as doctors, prosecutors and judges," Sagran said.

Data from 2006 showed that there were 2,452 Muslims in East Timor; however, the number appears to have decreased.

"A number have moved to Kupang in search of a better life," he said.

He also explained that at present there were five mosques in East Timor, two of which were located in Dili.

Source: Detikcom website, Jakarta, in Indonesian 3 Oct 08

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